The study of Italian Language, Culture and Literature will open your eyes to the achievements of one of the world’s greatest civilizations. Italy is famous, among other things, for art and architecture, engineers, scientists and poets, for its films, fashion houses, footballers and food. You can study all of these and more at Strathclyde. As a student of Italian you will master the written and spoken language, have the stimulating challenge of engaging with another culture through the medium of its language and literatures, and the opportunity to work or study in Italy during your course. Languages are taught in a friendly atmosphere, in which each student receives the personal attention she or he needs. We place an emphasis on high-level professional and transferable skills, such as giving presentations, writing reports, interpreting and translating, all of which will help to prepare students for a wide range of future high-flying careers.
Italian is available at joint Honours in combination with another subject. Italian can also be studied within the BA (Honours) in International Business and Modern Languages offered by the Strathclyde Business School.
Year 1: There are two streams in the first year; one for students with previous knowledge of Italian, and another for beginners. Students in both classes study contemporary Italian language, cinema, literature and society, providing solid foundations for more in-depth specialization in Years 2 and 3.
Years 2, 3: You will develop your language skills across reading, writing, speaking and listening. In the specialized cultural classes you will study key areas such as: the Renaissance, 20th-century history and politics, 19th- and 20th-century opera, theatre, cinema and literature. Students who opt to study Italian at Honours level normally spend nine months in Italy between years 3 and 4.
Year 4: At this advanced level you will perfect your knowledge of the Italian language by taking courses in translation, writing and interpreting. Specialist cultural classes, which reflect the research expertise of academic staff in Italian, are currently offered in: the Resistance movement, terrorism, and celebrity culture in the 19th century.
Honours students are normally required to spend a full academic year in Italy, in one of three ways. You may apply to work as an English language teaching assistant in an Italian high school, or you may opt to gain work experience in a professional environment. It is also possible to spend nine months as an exchange student at an Italian university. We currently have Socrates agreements with the Universities of Milan, Verona and Padua. If you study two languages, you may opt to spend your third year in one country and a further year in the country of your other language, before returning to Strathclyde for your Honours year.
We value traditional face-to-face teaching (frequently involving the use of native-speakers), and we are also committed to the use of technology, using computer-assisted learning, a web-based virtual learning environment, Italian television and a range of audiovisual materials. These innovative approaches to learning and teaching complement the lectures and the small-group teaching. Assessment for these classes involves a mixture of coursework and final examination.
Strathclyde graduates of Italian are currently working in a wide variety of environments around the world. Many of our former students are successful journalists, entrepreneurs, lawyers, engineers, education professionals, business executives, professional linguists, researchers, IT experts and civil servants. Language graduates have a variety of transferable skills which are of great value to potential employers. These include advanced spoken and written ability, competence in interpreting and/or translating, a capacity to think critically and laterally, and a high-level ability in a range of other important communication skills.
Specific information about Italian courses available at the University of Strathclyde will be added here soon, in the meantime please visit the Language Learning Centre for information on all language courses available at the university.